Tag: organised immigration crime

Around 300 officers deployed nationwide for Police Scotland’s largest human trafficking operation

Thirty-six people have been arrested, and 14 cannabis cultivations have been discovered following the biggest and most coordinated human trafficking operation that Police Scotland has ever carried out.

The nationally coordinated operation, which took place on Wednesday, 23 September, was targeting a Vietnamese crime group suspected of human trafficking and exploitation and organised immigration crime.

Around 300 officers were engaged in the enforcement action with simultaneous deployments across Scotland, targeting 47 addresses in Aberdeen, Dundee, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. Arrests were also made in Birmingham.

There were 35 warrants served and a number of potential trafficking victims were also recovered from several of the addresses.

Officers from across Police Scotland, led by the National Human Trafficking Unit, worked alongside Home Office Immigration Enforcement and HMRC. Enforcement action took place in Northern Ireland earlier this week.

Detective Superintendent Stevie Bertram, Head of Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit said: “This enforcement action is the biggest and most coordinated human trafficking operation that we have ever carried out, and was the result of a lengthy investigation, working closely with our partners. We took a coordinated approach and the arrests and seizures are the result of this work.

“Human Trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purpose of commercial exploitation, and it has no place in Scotland. It exists in many of our communities and can involve people who are resident legally in the country. The industry of trafficking people has become so sophisticated that it often goes unnoticed.

“We will target criminals who abuse, control and exploit people, working with partners nationally and internationally to bring offenders to justice, and to raise public awareness to help identify victims and ensure they get the support they need.

“I want to thank all of the officers involved who have worked tirelessly to get to where we are today.

“We will continue to use focused days of action to disrupt and identify those who control, abuse and exploit others to bring them to justice.”

Justice & Care deployed two Victim Navigators, based in Scotland, to assist in Operation Kendrew. The Victim Navigator programme provides independent, specialist support. As a result of their training and professional expertise, the Navigators provide trauma informed support at the point of rescue and beyond, recognising that every victim has lived through a different experience. 

Debi Lloyd, Head of Counter-Trafficking at Justice & Care, adds ”Trauma-informed support is ultimately about recognising the person before the process.

“When somebody begins to trust again, to make their own choices and believe that people will do what they say they will do, that can be incredibly powerful.”

Statement on organised immigration crime

Statement from the representatives of the governments of Albania, China, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam

We, the representatives of the governments of Albania, China, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, united as an international community in the fight against organised immigration crime (OIC), meeting within the framework of the Border Security Summit hosted by the United Kingdom, hereby affirm our collective responsibility to address the threat posed by organised criminal groups exploiting online platforms for the facilitation of irregular immigration including human trafficking.

Acknowledging the scope of the threat

We recognise the role that online platforms can play in the facilitation of OIC. Organised criminal groups are exploiting these platforms to advertise and facilitate illegal immigration services, generating illegal profits at the expense of vulnerable migrants. Inaccurate information is spread online, with claims to guarantee passage with shared ‘success stories’ of being able to remain in country despite illegal entry.

These stories are shared despite the increasing risk of fatalities from clandestine entry by boats and lorries. As online platforms evolve, criminal networks adapt their methods, making a co-ordinated global response essential. We recognise the harm that irregular migration can cause nations’ citizens.

Commitment to collective action

The fight against OIC requires collaboration across borders, sectors, and jurisdictions to effectively counter the global scale of the threat. No single government can combat this threat alone. We call upon all governments, international organisations, and industry partners to join us in this endeavour to work together to prevent the misuse of online platforms for illegal immigration services.

Disrupting the facilitation of OIC

The online environment should not be permissive for immigration crimes.  We call on industry partners to design out from platforms opportunities for exploitation and to prevent the proliferation of glorifying illegal migration. Fatalities as a result of people smuggling are increasing globally and we must ensure those seeking illegal entry are aware of the grave risks.

A collective responsibility to prevent exploitation

We commit to strengthening our collective efforts to prevent, disrupt, and degrade the capacity of organised criminal groups to exploit online platforms for OIC. Online platforms should not enable facilitation of organised crime, and we are committed to working together to prevent this.

International governments, industry partners, and international organisations should join forces in a global effort to stop criminals from exploiting online platforms.

Platforms should invest in strong detection and moderation tools, while governments must back them with effective laws and international cooperation.

Collaborative framework for action

We commit to share trends in use of the online environment by organised criminal groups and the principle approaches for detecting and disrupting the facilitation of OIC online. Following this summit, the UK will provide opportunities for global collaboration, learning from the approach taken to other tech-enabled harms.

Towards a secure digital environment for all

Looking ahead, we recognise that addressing OIC in the digital age requires innovation, prevention, and sustained cooperation. Only through collective action can we prevent criminal groups from exploiting online platforms for irregular immigration. Together, we will work to ensure that online spaces remain secure and safe for everyone and do not provide the opportunity for people smuggling services to be advertised and accessed by vulnerable migrants.

A call to action

In conclusion, we call for ongoing dialogue and swift action to address the challenges posed by OIC online content and the threat it presents to the integrity of our borders. We reaffirm our commitment to a global response that prevents the exploitation of online platforms for criminal purposes.

We call for global action to prevent the spread of OIC content and protect the integrity of online spaces. By acting decisively, we can safeguard vulnerable people and uphold the security of our collective borders.